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Candidate Profile: Espindola running for Yuba City City Council | News Capsules

October 3, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Editor’s note: One in a series.

Leading up to the Nov. 8 general election, the Appeal-Democrat will be running a series of candidate profiles that will allow each person running for a significant contested office in the Yuba-Sutter area the chance to either introduce themselves to the voting public or remind those who they are and where they stand.

The Appeal-Democrat sent five simple questions to candidates. Each candidate who is running has been given the opportunity to respond. Profiles will run in the Appeal in the order in which they are received.

The following are answers provided by Grace Espindola, who is running for the Yuba City City Council District 3 seat. Espindola is facing off against Mike Pasquale.

Both Espindola and Pasquale recently took part in a candidate forum hosted by the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Appeal-Democrat. The video of that forum is available on both the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce and Appeal-Democrat Facebook pages.

Q: What is your vision for the future of Yuba City?

A: We’ve been busy at City Hall, nourishing a 21st-century city. Yuba City has been the commercial center of this region based on annual sales tax revenues for more than four decades. In 1980, Yuba City’s population was smaller than 20,000. We’ve added more than 50,000 new residents since then.

Today, Yuba City is as big as Walnut Creek. With that kind of growth comes challenges. Some say we’ve already grown too big. We’ve reached more than 70,000, and judging by the pace of things, that number will continue to grow. One of the challenges will be providing larger city infrastructure and essential services while maintaining our small-town character, including a preference for small government and a penchant for volunteer service. We have to find a way to resolve big-city issues while maintaining our small-town heart.

Another challenge will be ensuring the community’s economic growth benefits all, including our youth and senior populations. My vision is for a safe, inclusive, prosperous city large enough to provide modern amenities, including expanded recreational opportunities to promote public health, recreation, and culture/arts, and small enough that we continue to encounter friends and neighbors at locally owned small businesses regularly.

To accommodate growth, we’ve built a two-lane bridge between Yuba City and Marysville, and we’re expanding Bridge Street to four lanes to Highway 99. There are plans for other road corridor expansions. We’ve invested in modern levees along the Feather River that reduce the flood risk to homes and businesses and ensure an ability for economic growth to continue.

We’ve acquired grant funding to develop underground water storage of our drinking water supply from the Feather River to hedge against drought. We’re adding trails for walking, biking, and running and a park with multiple amenities for our existing and future families. We have a professional, modern, well-trained police force and fire department, public works and development, and city staff that is forward-thinking and hard-working. All these things have required us to work together. We’ll need to continue to work together through our local government to manage our future growth for the full benefit of the community.

Q: How have you helped address the homelessness issue in Yuba City?

A: With Yuba City’s explosive population growth has come an increase in the number of homeless individuals who, for any number of reasons, are living in the streets and river bottoms when not couch surfing or living in their vehicles. My perspective on this issue is informed by decades of involvement.

I was a co-founding member of the Sutter-Yuba Homeless Consortium, coordinating grant funding and homeless service programs in both counties. As a city council member, I was part of a city-county ad hoc committee to discuss potential sites for additional services. At the heart of local services are the Homeless Information Management System and a “coordinated entry” system where homeless individuals seeking help are directed to a central location for assistance accessing a number of private, nonprofit, and government services.

The collected data show that most of the homeless are from our community, debunking a popular myth. A small portion of the homeless population causes almost 100% of the complaints from residents and business owners who are recurring victims of trespassing, vandalism, theft, and other crimes.

Recently, we added a second homeless liaison police officer to work with residents and businesses on how to address these issues, enforce laws, and provide assistance to those homeless individuals who seek it.

It’s a tough job for our police officers and code enforcement. Their hands are tied by federal court rulings that prevent them from enforcing an ordinance against camping on public property unless shelter beds are available. Enforcement requires a lot of coordination with Sutter County and the nonprofit agencies tied into the homeless services community. We are working with nonprofits and private organizations to increase shelter and housing.

Those looking for help might not be able to get it right away due to limited shelter space or mental health or drug treatment options.

Sutter County’s emergency shelter, Better Way, is a good model. Residents and businesses in that area were skeptical, but the shelter has sheltered several hundred people and helped find permanent homes for more than 100.

Additional affordable housing is needed; for the working class and low-income. More than 170 new units should be coming online soon. Support programs like Harmony Village, the 62-room motel converted to affordable permanent rental homes operated by Hands of Hope south of Yuba City. These projects must balance the interests of the neighborhood.

Q: What can the city do to spur more economic development?

A: On the one hand, Yuba City is doing a lot of things right. Our business and housing sectors continue to expand and create new jobs. Our Development Services department has processed 560 commercial and industrial permits for everything from new builds to tenant improvements and major renovations in the past two years. That’s in addition to 4,423 residential permits.

Another impact of economic growth is that annual unemployment rates in Yuba City have steadily dropped from 15-20% two decades ago to 7-8% in the past few years. According to the U.S. Business Census conducted every 5 years, there were 1,946 employers in Sutter County, providing more than 23,000 jobs and a payroll of more than $1 billion in 2020. The bulk of those jobs, and the bulk of those employees, are in Yuba City. There were another 6,322 self-employed solo operators in Sutter County in 2020.

And the immediate horizon is promising, with five hotel projects either planned or in construction, including three in the Third District.

I worry, though, that we are not yet attracting enough higher-paying jobs that can lift the community higher. This community has a growing number of excellent vocational training programs, unlocking the door to new opportunities. Some first-class training programs conducted by organized labor and trade unions open wider doors. The trade unions and local hires are an important part of our infrastructure and development growth, supporting employment locally.

However, we need to plan for and work to attract employers whose needs include a college-educated workforce and recruit talent from all over the country if they can’t find it locally. Our involvement in regional economic development organizations can help with this goal. Still, we mustn’t, at the same time, allow our school system to give up on increasing the level of college education in our community and options in skilled trades and business opportunities.

I also worry that only 154 of those more than 1,900 employer firms in Sutter County are owned by women. We need to do a better job of encouraging and nourishing women entrepreneurs.

Q: How have you helped address the lack of affordable housing and/or housing in general for Yuba City?

A: Housing affordability is key to a community’s success. We suffer from a low inventory of single-family, multi-family, and affordable housing. But more than 1,100 single-family homes, close to 600 multi-family residences, and more than 1,700 affordable housing units have been in various planning and construction stages.

These will be some of the first multi-family units constructed in our city in a while. Still, the need for affordable housing is great. The city continues to search for the right opportunities to partner with Regional Housing Authority, Yuba Sutter Homeless Consortium, private developers (trades and labor supporter), and Habitat for Humanity to expand our affordable housing inventory by working with our Development Services department with policies, development impact fees, Specific Site Plans, In-fill development, and General Plans.

Q: Why should voters choose you for the city council?

A: As a naturalized citizen and a woman, I believe every individual has something to offer, regardless of age, origin, or gender. I’ve believed this since my mother brought me to this country as a little girl.

There is a strong work ethic, integrity, love, and honor to serve in our family. I bring my perspective, education, professional background, work ethic, integrity and as a current council member to the city council. Serving as a member of the city council is a great privilege. But it is ultimately a grave responsibility, and whoever holds the position must take it seriously as we continue to plan a 21st-century city where we can all thrive.

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Trump’s violent rhetoric conjures chilling echoes as midterms loom

October 3, 2022 by Staff Reporter

CNN
—

The lesson of January 6, 2021, is that when extremism, conspiracies and incitement reach a boiling point, they seek an outlet.

That recent history is loudly echoing amid a deepening sense that the country could be heading back to a dark political place as another Election Day looms. And sadly, in a such a toxic age, another violent eruption cannot be ruled out.

As he contemplates a 2024 campaign and rallies for 2022 candidates, ex-President Donald Trump is conducting a new symphony of political malice and facing little pushback from his party despite the insurrection’s example of where the politics of malevolence can lead.

The foreboding atmosphere five weeks before the midterm elections shows the country remains in the grip of the rancor that stained the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another less than two years ago.

This coincides with painful and far from complete investigations into what happened after the 2020 election. On Monday, for instance, on the first day of the trial of five alleged members of the Oath Keepers militia charged with seditious conspiracy, jurors heard how senators cried as they hid from Trump’s mob.

The former President dialed up the hate another notch last week with a social media post that accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he has a strained relationship, of having a “death wish” and flung racism at his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. In another escalation, Trump recently slammed FBI agents as “vicious monsters” over the lawful search of his Florida home.

One of the ex-President’s top boosters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, also played into Trump’s politics of fear at his weekend rally in Michigan, claiming that Democrats wanted Republicans dead.

Trump’s political model remains rooted in igniting anger among his supporters. The more outrageous his comments, the more that the ex-President and his supporters show disdain for Washington elites and the rules and conventions that constrain the presidency and government institutions. His political self image emulates the militarism and brashness of foreign strongmen. And in a sense, his refusal to temper his political speech, even at the risk of endangering others, demonstrates yet again his power over a party that largely refuses to rebuke him, however extreme he becomes.

Attacks on or threats to political leaders are not just a bloody relic of America’s past. There have been multiple recent instances of intimidation targeting political figures from both parties – from death threats left on Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s phone over his involvement in the House’s insurrection probe to charges filed against a man who allegedly harassed Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

In June, a man was charged with attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The same month, New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who’s running for governor, was attacked by a man at a campaign event. While the alleged assailant appeared not to have a political motive, it was a reminder, as if one was needed, of the vulnerability of candidates on the stump.

Former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was left with life-changing injuries by a gunman who attacked a constituency event in 2011, killing six people. In 2017, Louisiana GOP Rep. Steve Scalise was badly wounded by a gunman who opened fire at a congressional baseball practice. The man had professed support for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ progressive politics and hated conservatives and Trump, according to a CNN review of his Facebook profiles, public records and letters to his newspaper. (Sanders, who has never employed the kind of incitement that Trump is known for, was quick to condemn the shooting as “despicable” after saying the assailant “apparently” volunteered for his presidential campaign, and he made clear violence of any kind was unacceptable.)

It’s not always possible to trace each attack, or attempted attack, to specific heated rhetoric. But such incidents also mean that politicians cannot claim their words are uttered in a vacuum. The dangers of stoking fear and violence are obvious. The US Capitol insurrection made this clearer than ever. Multiple rioters testified in court cases that they were doing what Trump wanted on that day. In the House select committee’s seventh hearing, Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a restricted building, said everyone was simply following what the former President wanted. Or as the panel’s vice chair, Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney put it, the then-President “summoned the mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack.”

In a nation with easy access to guns, with a recent history of political violence and where Trump and others use false claims of voter fraud as political rocket fuel, it is reasonable to wonder what dire consequences may haunt this election season.

Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chairs the House select committee, on Monday condemned Trump’s social media assault on McConnell and told colleagues in both parties, “We need to be better than this.”

He said in a statement that Trump’s rhetoric “could incite political violence, and the former President knows full well that extremists often view his words as marching orders.”

In an editorial on Monday, the conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal also condemned Trump’s attack on McConnell.

“The ‘death wish’ rhetoric is ugly even by Mr. Trump’s standards and deserves to be condemned. Mr. Trump’s apologists claim he merely meant Mr. McConnell has a political death wish, but that isn’t what he wrote,” the paper said.

“It’s all too easy to imagine some fanatic taking Mr. Trump seriously and literally, and attempting to kill Mr. McConnell.”

A New York Times story over the weekend, which detailed a stream of threats and harassment against lawmakers of both parties, noted that after Trump was elected in 2016, the number of reported threats against members of Congress rose more than 10 times to 9,625 in 2021, according to Capitol Police figures.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a senator or House member were killed,” Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told the paper in an interview.

“What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence.”

Violent rhetoric can be bipartisan. But there is little doubt that Trump’s behavior has contributed to an increasingly volatile political culture.

Long before the Capitol insurrection, the ex-President injected a bullying and brutal tone in his campaign rhetoric. Month by month, Trump built an impression that violence was a legitimate tool of expressing political grievances – a process that came to a head on January 6 – and further eroded the idea that Americans’ differences should be settled at the ballot box rather than through violent action.

The former President appears to implicitly offer his supporters a kind of permission to emulate his incitement. And his tendency to drag others down into the political gutter with him has contributed to a coarsening of the wider political culture, especially among Republicans who have to choose between their political careers and publicly tolerating his extremism.

Republicans often seize upon the rhetoric of key Democratic figures to suggest their supporters are being victimized and targeted. This happened most recently when Biden referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” supporters as embracing “semi-fascism.” Intemperate political rhetoric should always be condemned. But any objective viewing of Trump’s speeches and social media posts must conclude that he’s an incessant and deliberate offender.

Part of the reason why is that his own party – some courageous lawmakers aside – almost never steps into condemn him. This was borne out by the uncomfortable dodging from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chairman of the Senate GOP campaign committee, on Sunday shows when he was asked to condemn Trump’s post about McConnell.

“You know, the President likes to give people nicknames. So you can ask him how he came up with a nickname. I’m sure he has a nickname for me,” Scott told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” before struggling to reorient the conversation toward the high inflation that Republicans believe will hurt Democrats in the midterms.

“I hope no one is racist. I hope no one says anything that’s inappropriate,” Scott said, encapsulating the manner in which Trump has intimidated his party into submission through seven years of fury since he announced his first campaign.

As the former President cranks up his political machine again, and as the broader political environment deteriorates, a sense of menace and danger is again gathering around another American election.

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Why data localisation may not be a panacea for data privacy woes in ASEAN

October 2, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Data localisation laws are becoming more prevalent, but beyond its cost to businesses, critics argue such regulations are neither necessary nor sufficient for ensuring data security. Image: Canva

On October 1, a decree that requires international firms with services in Vietnam to store users’ data within Vietnamese territory and set up local offices went into effect, reported Vietnam Express.

This new decree is an addition to Vietnam’s existing Cybersecurity Law. It stipulates that data belonging to users, from account information to data about users’ relationships, must be stored in Vietnam for at least 24 months. International firms must complete data storage requirements and set up local offices within 12 months of being asked to do so by the Ministry of Public Security.

In early September, US business groups representing technology companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta said in a letter to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that this law may affect investments and make it difficult for companies to assess the cost of doing business in the Southeast Asian country, reported Bloomberg.

Vu Tu Thanh, the Vietnam representative of the US-Asean Business Council, told Bloomberg that the new decree was drafted with the consideration of balancing economic interests and national security, and is more flexible than those in previous drafts.

An opinion piece on Nikkei Asia also highlighted that the decree may provide further leverage for the country’s censorship requests to Big Tech.

Data localisation across the world

Vietnam’s decree is part of a broader trend of data localisation in Southeast Asia and the world, which refers to the practice of:

requiring data to be collected, processed, and/or stored within a nation’s borders, so that foreign actors cannot access them
requiring a copy of data to be kept in local servers or data centres, such that law enforcement agencies can access such data if found necessary
placing limits on the transfer of personal data across borders

The primary reasons for data localisation laws involve matters of national security. For instance, in June 2022, Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok, said that it planned to move the private data of American citizens to cloud servers in the US to allay privacy concerns, reported The New York Times. Keeping the data of American citizens within America may lower the risk of foreign governments accessing such data.

Storing data locally may also help local law enforcement agencies access data if necessary.

From 2013 to 2018, US law agencies were embroiled in a legal battle with Microsoft when the company refused to hand over data stored on a data centre in Ireland, according to TechCrunch. The case was eventually resolved with regulations that stipulated that companies must provide information properly requested by law enforcement regardless of location.

Countries may also pose limits on the transfer of personal data across borders if they assess that data protection regimes in other jurisdictions may not be adequate. For instance, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ruled that personal data can only be transferred beyond the EU to external parties if the recipient country possesses a level of data protection equivalent to that of the EU.

In a journal article in the Asian Journal of International Law, Benjamin Wong from the National University of Singapore found low but significant levels of data localisation within ASEAN, with countries such as Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand possessing restrictions on the transfer of personal data across borders until certain standards of data protection are met.

Countries like Indonesia and Vietnam have regulations on processing and storing personal data within the nation’s borders, as well as on hosting a local copy of data. East Asia Forum reported that Indonesian regulations require all public sector data to be managed, stored, and processed within the country.

Costs of data localisation

However, data localisation may come at a cost to economic growth and investments, as well as inhibit the performance of certain technologies.

First, data localisation imposes additional costs on companies, who may have to spend additional resources on setting up server rooms, data centres, and local offices, says Lim May-Ann, Emeritus Director of the Asia Cloud Computing Association. Larger countries may require more servers and infrastructure to properly serve the market, leading to high compliance costs to business.

If the cost is too high, companies may choose to pull out or suspend operations. In 2016, online payments company PayPal suspended operations in Turkey as a result of new regulations that required companies to fully localise their information systems within the country, reported TechCrunch.

Data localisation can also impede free trade and affect the regional economic development of ASEAN. Wong noted in his journal article that that such policies could obstruct businesses’ access to foreign markets. This may run counter to the stated aims of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, which aims to liberalise the trade in services, he argued. In fact, trade deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Vietnam is party to, includes pledges against data localisation, said Nikkei Asia.

Finally, data localisation may inhibit the performance and efficiency of current technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Cloud computing works most efficiently when data is able to flow across borders, and artificial intelligence works best when it has a diverse range of data sources to draw upon. Data localisation policies may inhibit both these functions.

A tool among a broader arsenal

Perhaps data localisation is best applied as one tool amongst many, with a risk-based approach in mind.

First, it is important to note that data localisation policies on their own may not necessarily improve the security of data. Data stored elsewhere on the servers of a cloud service provider may have higher cybersecurity controls than a local data centre, for instance. Restrictive data localisation policies may also be harder to enforce, notes Lim.

This is where a risk-based approach may prove useful, where each country sets its own risk level and decides how it would like to balance security and economic considerations.

A risk-based approach first requires countries to have strong data classification models, which can help identify which data is more sensitive than others, says Lim. For example, personally identifiable information may require more protections than non-personal data, and data directly related to national security may be best stored within national borders.

As it may not be feasible or cost-effective to store all data within one’s country, a risk-based approach lets you “put as large a padlock as you want on the data that you think is most important,” says Lim.

In Singapore and Malaysia, personal data protection laws regulate that organisations transferring data across borders have a responsibility to ensure that data continues to be protected at comparable levels to that of their home country. Singapore’s Monetary Authority of Singapore has a technological risk management checklist, for one.

Other security best practices, such as the principle of least privileged access and zero trust systems, which requires portals to continuously verify one’s identity through methods such as multi-factor authentication, can help secure data. Lim says that banks in the region, from Thailand to the Philippines, have been leading the front on the adoption of such practices.

Finally, the growth of privacy-enhancing technologies may also prove to reduce barriers to data transfers, as a recent GovInsider article noted, though Lim says that technology can only help insofar that people on the ground understand how to adopt and use such tech.

If ASEAN countries aligned on data protection standards, this would help encourage further economic integration and reduce barriers for the provision of services, much like the EU has done. However, Wong’s article notes that ASEAN has a softer approach to regional regulations than the EU, and each ASEAN country will need to find its own path. As such, some restrictions on the transfer of data between countries may be inevitable.

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Brazil presidential election goes to second round

October 2, 2022 by Staff Reporter

São Paulo, Brazil
CNN
—

Brazil’s polarizing presidential race will go to a second round after no candidate achieved more than a 50% majority in an election that saw long lines at polling booths as millions turned out to vote.

With more than 99% of the vote counted on Sunday evening, results released by Brazil’s Electoral Superior Court (TSE) showed left-wing candidate and former president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva held a slight lead over right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro – but not enough to cross the threshold to victory.

The latest official count put Lula ahead with 48.4% of the vote versus 43.2% for Bolsonaro, a divisive figure often referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics.”

Bolsonaro’s result was eight points higher than the latest Datafolha poll showed on Saturday, while Lula’s was two to three points lower than predicted by polls.

Lula told reporters in Sao Paulo Sunday night that he was confident of winning the run-off vote to be held on October 30.

“It will be important (to have a second round) because we will have the chance to do a face-to-face debate with the current president to know if he will keep on telling lies,” said Lula, who was Brazil’s leader from 2002 to 2010.

In a brief news conference Sunday, Bolsonaro said the voting reflected the poor economic conditions felt by poorer Brazilians, and promised to appeal to voters who are worried about rising prices.

“We have a second round ahead where everything becomes the same, the (television advertising) time for each side becomes the same. And now we are going to show it better for the Brazilian population, especially the most affected class, the consequence of the ‘stay at home, we’ll see the economy later’ policy,” Bolsonaro said.

Bolsonaro, who has routinely discredited the Brazilian electoral system and threatened to not accept its results, managed to beat Lula in the southeast states, the most populous of the country.

More than 123 million Brazilians waited in long lines to vote in the world’s fourth largest democracy, while another 32 million abstained. According to TSE President Alexandre de Moraes, the extensive queues were caused by new biometric security checks and higher than expected voter turnout.

Several other presidential candidates were in the running but trailed far behind the two frontrunners.

Simone Tebet of the Brazilian Democratic Movement came third with 4.1% of valid votes, and Ciro Gomes of the Democratic Labour Party received 3.05% of the vote.

Gomes said in a news conference Sunday that he is “deeply concerned” about Brazil’s political polarization. “I have never seen a situation so complex, so challenging, so potentially threatening to our fortunes as a nation,” he said.

After voting alongside his wife, Rosangela da Silva, at a Sao Paulo school on Sunday, Lula told reporters: “We don’t want more discord, we want a country that lives in peace. This is the most important election. I am really happy.”

He also referenced the 2018 elections, where he had been unable to run – or vote – because of a corruption conviction that was overturned last year.

“Four years ago I couldn’t vote because I had been the victim of a lie in this country. And four years later, I’m here, voting with the recognition of my total freedom and with the possibility of being president of the republic of this country again, to try to make this country return to normality,” Lula said.

While there were nearly a dozen candidates on the ballot, the race was dominated from the outset by Lula and Bolsonaro, two titans of Brazilian politics who engaged in a bruising campaign season marked by bitter verbal attacks and a series of violent incidents between rival supporters.

Bolsonaro, 67, ran for re-election under the conservative Liberal Party. He has campaigned to increase mining, privatize public companies and generate more sustainable energy to bring down energy prices. He has vowed to continue paying a R$600 (about $110) monthly benefit known as Auxilio Brasil.

His government is known for its support for ruthless exploitation of land in the Amazon, leading to record deforestation figures. Environmentalists are warning that the future of the rainforest could be at stake in this election.

Bolsonaro has also been widely criticized for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 686,000 people in Brazil have died from the virus.

Lula, 76, focused his campaign on getting Bolsonaro out of office and highlighted his past achievements throughout his campaign.

He left office with a 90% approval rating in 2011, and is largely credited for lifting millions of Brazilians from extreme poverty through the “Bolsa Familia” welfare program.

His campaign promised a new tax regime that will allow for higher public spending. He has vowed to end hunger in the country, which has returned during the Bolsonaro government. Lula also promises to work to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation in the Amazon.

Lula, however, is also no stranger to controversy. He was convicted for corruption and money laundering in 2017, on charges stemming from the wide-ranging “Operation Car Wash” investigation into the state-run oil company Petrobras. But after serving less than two years, a Supreme Court Justice annulled Lula’s conviction in March 2021, clearing the way for him to run for president for a sixth time.

Bolsonaro, who has been accused of firing up supporters with violent rhetoric, has sought to sow doubts about the result and said that the results should be considered suspicious if he doesn’t gain “at least 60%.”

On Saturday, he repeated claims that he expected to win in the first round of presidential elections “with a margin higher than 60%,” despite being 14 points behind in the most recent poll that day.

Both Bolsonaro and his Liberal Party have claimed that Brazil’s electronic ballot system is susceptible to fraud – an entirely unfounded allegation that has drawn comparisons to the false election claims of former US President Donald Trump.

There have been no proven instances of voter fraud in the electronic ballot in Brazil.

The Supreme Electoral Court has also rejected claims of flaws in the system, as “false and untruthful, with no base in reality.”

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A ‘new dawn’ in Philippines-US economic ties

October 1, 2022 by Staff Reporter

As instructed by the President, we prepared a fully jam-packed schedule for him during his six-day working visit to the United States. He had countless meetings and dialogues with business executives of top American companies, as well as forums/roundtable discussions with organizations that include the US-ASEAN Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce, Asia Society and the World Bank Group.

The meetings covered key sectors that include digital infrastructure, business process management, information technology, aviation, security, agriculture and energy as well as climate change and disaster response. The discussion with global food corporation Cargill for instance centered on boosting agricultural productivity and how the Philippines can attain food security and self-sufficiency. The dialogue with NuScale Power – whose groundbreaking proprietary technology in designing advanced nuclear small modular reactors has made it an industry leader – was very informative as it delved on clean energy and the potential of nuclear in lowering electricity costs and mitigating climate change. Other companies that met with the president include Boeing, WasteFuel and Procter & Gamble.

A key engagement was the Philippine Economic Briefing, and joining the president were members of his economic and infrastructure teams that include Finance Secretary Ben Diokno, BSP Governor Felipe Medalla, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, NEDA chief Arsenio Balisacan, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Transportation Secretary Jimmy Bautista, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy.

Among the big names that composed the business delegation that joined the president in New York are Aboitiz Group CEO Sabin Aboitiz who is also lead convenor of the Private Sector Advisory Council, ICTSI chairman Ricky Razon, the SM Group’s Hans Sy, San Miguel Corp. chairman and CEO Ramon Ang, JG Summit president Lance Gokongwei, Michael Tan of the LT Group, Armscor CEO Martin Tuason, George Barcelon of PCCI and Magsaysay Group president and CEO Doris Ho.

President Marcos invited “strategic investors” to participate in the country’s economic resurgence, saying that “key structural reforms have been set into place to allow for wider participation in our industries. With the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or what we refer to as CREATE and the economic liberalization measures, we have expanded the space for foreign investments in previously protected sectors, especially those that employ advanced technologies and research and development activities.”

He spoke about the strong and enduring ties between the United States and the Philippines in all aspects of the relationship that include the areas of trade, commerce and development, with the US being our third largest trading partner and fourth major source of foreign direct investments. He also assured businessmen about the reliability of the Philippines as a host for international partnerships, highlighting the country’s favorable business climate, sound macroeconomic fundamentals and the clear roadmap towards economic recovery and sustained growth, stressing that an even wider space has been created for mutually beneficial investments.

Meeting him in person, the US business executives, institutional investors and fund managers who took part in the economic briefing welcomed the openness of the President in listening to their concerns. The way PBBM articulated his economic recovery program resonated extremely well with the businessmen, giving them confidence and the assurance they needed to hear, during the economic briefing.

As Sabin Aboitiz put it, the President has the ability to “bring together the best minds in business, use them to find real solutions to real problems and then immediately implement them like he was flipping a switch.”

Several American investors also privately told me that they were encouraged by what they heard from the President and his team, all looking at expanding their operations in the country while some are mulling the possibility of diversifying their manufacturing activities or moving their operations out of China due to the supply chain disruptions brought about by the pandemic, increasing labor wages and costs, the trade war between the US and China, among other issues.

Those that could benefit from the situation are ASEAN member-nations that include the Philippines. In fact, a lot of global companies have been resorting to the “China Plus One” strategy, which is simply the diversification of their manufacturing businesses to other Asian countries, with the ASEAN region a strong contender with its combined GDP of $3.3 trillion in 2021 amounting to 3.4 percent of world GDP, according to IHS Markit.

“Over the long-term, the ASEAN region is expected to overcome the protracted negative economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy,” IHS Markit said in its report last August.

While we work closely with our ASEAN brothers here in Washington to enhance relations between the regional bloc and the United States, as diplomats, we also have our national interest and specific agenda that we must pursue for our respective nations – making us competitors in one sense. My description is that “we are gladiators by day, but collaborators at night.”

PBBM has always been interested in business and had always wanted to be a businessman. Judging from the outcome of his working visit to New York, he is turning out to be our number one marketing executive – promoting the country as the “smart investment choice” – and that the best time to do business with the Philippines is now.

While we generated $3.9 billion in investment pledges, that is really just the beginning of what I see to be a “new dawn” in our economic relationship with the United States – and that moment has come.

* * *

Email: [email protected]

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Trump defends ‘great woman’ Ginni Thomas after Jan. 6 testimony

October 1, 2022 by Staff Reporter

CNN
—

Former President Donald Trump praised the “courage and strength” of Ginni Thomas at a rally Saturday, days after the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas met with congressional investigators about her efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In a four-and-a-half hour meeting with investigators on Thursday, Thomas discussed her marriage to the conservative justice, claiming in an opening statement obtained by CNN that she “did not speak with him at all about the details of my volunteer campaign activities.”

Thomas, who attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021 landed on the radar of the House select committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol after text message exchanges she had with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about election fraud claims surfaced during the ongoing congressional probe.

Thomas had “significant concerns about fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election. And, as she told the Committee, her minimal and mainstream activity focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated,” her attorney Mark Paoletta said after her closed-door testimony.

During a campaign appearance in Michigan, Trump claimed that Thomas told the House panel “she still believes the 2020 election was stolen,” commending her because “she didn’t wilt under pressure.”

“Do you know Ginni Thomas?” the former President polled the crowd. “She didn’t say, ‘Oh, well I’d like not to get involved. Of course, it was a wonderful election.’ It was a rigged and stolen election. She didn’t wait and sit around and say, ‘Well let me give you maybe a different answer than [what] I’ve been saying for the last two years.’”

“No, no,” Trump continued, “She didn’t wilt under pressure like so many others that are weak people and stupid people… She said what she thought, she said what she believed in.”

Thomas, who has previously criticized the House probe into January 6, has long been a prominent fixture in conservative activism – even becoming a persistent annoyance to some Trump White House officials as she tried to install friends and allies into senior administration roles throughout his presidency. She and her husband attended a private lunch with Trump and his wife Melania at the White House shortly after the 2018 midterms, though CNN has previously reported that her direct interactions with the former President were fairly limited beyond that meeting.

But on Saturday, Trump praised Thomas as “a great woman,” comparing her to countless former aides and allies who have admitted in their own depositions with the House panel that they themselves didn’t believe Trump’s claims about voter fraud following the 2020 election.

Thomas said she “never spoke” with her husband about “any of the legal challenges to the 2020 election,” addressing ethical questions that were raised in the wake a Supreme Court ruling last year on a January 6-related case. Thomas and Meadows texted repeatedly about overturning the election results.

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chairs the committee, said that Thomas did confirm during her testimony that she still believes the election was stolen, adding that “at this point we are glad she came in.”

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The Cineplex Saga Continues With U.S. Bankruptcy Court Denial

September 30, 2022 by Staff Reporter

652234 / Pixabay

Cineplex continues to look for ways to monetize its 2020 aborted merger with UK-based Cineworld. Recent events suggest its pursuit of justice will be a long and winding road.

A judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston on Wednesday denied Cineplex Inc.’s request to allow its case against Cineworld Group plc (LON:CINE) to proceed in October in the Ontario Court of Appeal despite the current U.S. proceedings.

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Q2 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Fund Manager Profile: Kris Sidial Of Tail Risk Fund Ambrus Group

A decade ago, no one talked about tail risk hedge funds, which were a minuscule niche of the market. However, today many large investors, including pension funds and other institutions, have mandates that require the inclusion of tail risk protection. In a recent interview with ValueWalk, Kris Sidial of tail risk fund Ambrus Group, a Read More

Judge Marvin Isgur said allowing the litigation to continue at the early stage of London-based Cineplex’s bankruptcy case would be “premature.” “The purpose of the automatic stay is to give the debtor a breathing spell,” Isgur said.

Cineworld Withdraws Deal To Acquire Cineplex

Cineworld, which filed for chapter 11 earlier this month, withdrew from a deal to acquire Cineplex in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The purpose of the automatic stay is to give the debtor a breathing spell,” Judge Isgur said.

He added that Cineplex remains free to seek future relief.

As a result of the decision in the U.S., Cineplex’s efforts to collect a CAD$1.24 billion Ontario Superior Court of Justice judgment in December 2021 are on hold until 2023 after Cineworld’s U.S. bankruptcy proceedings have concluded.

Cineplex’s share price jumped to $9.37 on the news but quickly retreated. It had since fallen back to where it was trading before the speculation surfaced. CGX stock lost 34% in 2022 to date and is off almost 75% since March 2020, when it appeared Cineworld would try to rescind its CAD$2.8 billion offer to buy Cineplex.

In June 2020, the company officials said it wanted out of the deal.

Also, on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Cineplex is considering merging with Regal Entertainment Group, Cineworld’s U.S. subsidiary.

Details regarding potential Cineplex/Regal plans are limited, with the Journal saying Cineplex would offer Cineworld’s lenders cash-and-stock backed by the combined business’s assets.

Some investors aren’t convinced. Cineplex wants a Regal Deal. Deadline.com reported on Sep. 28 that the company is merely trying to secure its claim against Cineworld.

“I read the story as I was eating my cheerios that Cineplex has engaged with lenders of Regal Cinemas about a potential merger. That was news to me. We obviously have had merger talks with Cineplex on and off,” said Cineworld attorney Joshua Sussberg of Kirkland & Ellis. “In fact, there were conversations over the course of the summer before we had an acute liquidity problem.”

In 2019, Cineworld’s U.S. business generated $3.21 billion in revenue, including $1.86 billion from box office receipts. Over the next two years, its combined revenue was $1.80 billion, less than its 2019 box office. Cineplex’s 2019 revenue was CAD$1.67 billion. Its two-year combined revenue for 2020 and 2021 was CAD$1.07 billion.

Assuming a merger between Regal and Cineplex went ahead, it would have combined revenue of $4.43 billion, based on 2019 results. AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) trades at 1x sales, which values the combined entity’s equity at $4.43 billion.

AMC paid $3.6 billion for Regal’s equity in 2018, plus the assumption of $2.3 billion in net debt.

Before Cineplex can make an official offer to the bankruptcy courts to buy Regal, Cineworld has the right to make its restructuring offer to its creditors.

Article by Will Ashworth, Fintel

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Ron DeSantis changes with the wind as Hurricane Ian prompts flip-flop on aid | Ron DeSantis

September 30, 2022 by Staff Reporter

As Hurricane Ian has devastated parts of Florida, the national political spotlight in America has shone brighter than ever on Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor, rising star of the hard right and probable presidential contender in 2024.

Since his election in 2018, DeSantis has made his name as a ruthless culture-warrior, an ally of Donald Trump but also perhaps his most serious rival.

DeSantis has embraced an extremist agenda on everything from immigration to election integrity, positioning himself as Trumpist on policy but more mainstream on personality and temperament. He has championed “don’t say gay” legislation in Florida schools and this month used taxpayers’ money to send two planeloads of migrants from the southern border in Texas to Massachusetts, a Democratic-run state.

That move prompted anger, investigation and legal action. The transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said DeSantis was “hurting people in order to get attention”. But such opprobrium did not deter a governor playing to a Trumpist base. For his next move, DeSantis suggested, he would send another planeload of unsuspecting asylum seekers to Delaware, where Joe Biden has a weekend home.

But then Hurricane Ian hit. And like ambitious Republicans before him – most famously Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose photo ops with Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 were reckoned to have hurt him in the 2016 primary – DeSantis realised he needed to talk to the president.

On Wednesday, the Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked: “Given how politicised things are at the moment, are you confident you’re gonna get the federal support Florida needs?”

DeSantis said: “So I actually spoke with the president and he said he wants to be helpful. So we did submit a request for reimbursement for the next 60 days at 100%. That’s significant support, but it’s a significant storm.

“We live in a very politicised time, but you know, when people are fighting for their lives, when their whole livelihood is at stake, when they’ve lost everything, if you can’t put politics aside for that, that you’re just not going to be able to do so.

“So I’ll work with anybody who wants to help the people of south-west Florida and throughout our state.”

Critics were quick to point back to Hurricane Sandy, which battered the east coast 10 years ago, and how DeSantis approached the matter of federal aid then.

DeSantis was elected to Congress in November 2012, becoming a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, the far-right House group which would morph into the nest of Trump supporters and election deniers it constitutes today.

Sandy hit in late October, unusually far north, bringing chaos to New Jersey and New York and leading to more than 100 US deaths. Months later, in January 2013, DeSantis was one of 67 Republicans to vote against a $9.7bn federal aid package for Sandy victims.

He said then: “I sympathise with the victims of Hurricane Sandy and believe that those who purchased flood insurance should have their claims paid. At the same time, allowing the program to increase its debt by another $9.7bn with no plan to offset the spending with cuts elsewhere is not fiscally responsible.

“Congress should not authorise billions in new borrowing without offsetting expenditures in other areas. If a family maxes out its credit cards and faces the need for new spending, it is forced to prioritize by reducing its spending in other areas … this ‘put it on the credit card mentality’ is part of the reason we find ourselves nearly $17tn in debt.”

Times change. Now DeSantis – who budgeted $12m, from federal Covid relief funds, for efforts to move migrants to Democratic states – is facing “one of the biggest flood events we’ve ever had” and needs federal help.

“Dear Mr President,” his formal aid request began. “I request that you issue a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian and authorise and make available all categories of individual assistance and public assistance.”

Ironically, in light of his comparison of aid for Sandy victims to irresponsible home economics, DeSantis also said that as Ian would “hamper local activity … federal aid through the Individuals and Households Program will help alleviate these household budget shortfalls”.

Reporters noticed. Responding to the New York Times, a spokesperson said DeSantis was “completely focused on hurricane response” and added: “As the governor said earlier, we have no time for politics or pettiness.”

Late-night comedians, however, had plenty of time for pointing out DeSantis’s hypocrisy – and pettiness.

Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show on CBS, perhaps put it most pithily: “If you can, get out of the storm’s path. Worst-case scenario, tell Ron DeSantis you’re Venezuelan, maybe he’ll fly you to Martha’s Vineyard.”

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Biden warns of ‘substantial loss of life’ as storm strengthens back to hurricane

September 29, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Naples, Florida, recovering after Hurricane Ian rocked community

Parts of South Carolina could see up to 8 inches of rain

The National Hurricane Center is cautioning residents of the Carolinas that Ian could cause “life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds” Friday.

The storm was about 185 miles from Charleston, S.C., and moving northeast at 10 mph with sustained winds of 80 mph Thursday night when the center issued its 11 p.m. advisory.

Ian could grow stronger before its landfall, forecasters said. It’s expected to approach the coast of South Carolina on Friday before moving inland across the Carolinas into Saturday.

Parts of South Carolina could see up to 8 inches of rain.

Charleston residents told to ‘hunker down’ as Ian threatens

The mayor of South Carolina’s largest city told residents to “hunker down” and to treat Hurricane Ian seriously as it approached with a potential storm surge of up to 7 feet.

“Tomorrow, when this storm is upon us, stay home, stay out of harm’s way,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said at a news conference.

Ian, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm after it struck Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, regained hurricane strength over the Atlantic Ocean as it approached South Carolina’s coast, forecasters said.

The storm was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and its center was about 215 miles south of Charleston at 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving northeast at 10 mph.

If it strikes South Carolina as a hurricane Friday, Ian will be the first storm to have made landfall in the state as a hurricane since Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

A storm surge warning covered the entire South Carolina coast Thursday evening, and the storm surge for a stretch of coast that includes Charleston could be 4 to 7 feet, the weather agency said.

Low-lying areas of Charleston, including the hospital district, “could see inundation tomorrow,” the mayor said.

At least 2 dead on Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian, official says

At least two people died on Sanibel Island, Florida, after Hurricane Ian struck the region, Sanibel’s city manager said Thursday.

Additional information about the two deaths was not immediately available. The deaths bring the total storm-related fatalities across the state to 12.

The Category 4 storm wrecked a causeway linking Sanibel with Florida’s mainland, with five breaches, officials said.

Officials ferried first responders and workers to the island and removed 12 people who were injured and 40 others who were not injured by boat Thursday, City Manager Dana Souza said in a video briefing.

“You’ve seen the aerial photos and the news reports — on the ground, it’s pretty severe damage,” he said from Fort Myers.

Mayor Holly D. Smith said a storm surge of 8 to 15 feet struck the island. Sanibel normally has a population of around 6,300. She said it is believed about 200 households did not evacuate.

Ian made landfall around 3 p.m. Wednesday near Cayo Costa, which is only around 20 miles from Sanibel, with 150 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.

President Joe Biden to make remarks on Ian response

President Joe Biden on Friday is expected to discuss the federal response to the disaster in Florida wrought by Hurricane Ian, according to a schedule.

Biden said Thursday that Ian, which was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall on Florida’s western coast Wednesday, could be the deadliest hurricane in state history.

The president said he has offered full federal support for Florida, and on Thursday he approved a major disaster declaration, which will allow for more federal aid.

At least 10 deaths in Florida have been attributed to the storm, according to an NBC News count of reports from officials. Search and rescue efforts continued Thursday. The hurricane brought devastating storm surge and heavy rain, which caused flooding.

Ian could be first hurricane to hit South Carolina since Matthew in 2016

Hurricane Ian is forecast to become the first hurricane to make direct landfall on South Carolina’s coast since Hurricane Matthew six years ago, the governor said in urging residents to take it seriously.

Ian regained hurricane status as a Category 1 storm over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after it struck Florida as a Category 4 storm Wednesday, officials said.

“We know that this is going to be a serious storm,” Gov. Henry McMaster said at a news conference Thursday, adding that the state was making preparations.

Ian is forecast to approach the South Carolina coast Friday and make landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Storm surge warnings covered the entire South Carolina coast, as well as part of the northeast Florida coast, at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Charleston area could get a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet, the weather agency said. Ian could also bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to northeast South Carolina and up to a foot in some spots. .

Hurricane Matthew struck South Carolina as a Category 1 storm on Oct. 8, 2016. It killed four people in South Carolina and 25 in North Carolina; almost all of the deaths were flood-related, according to the National Hurricane Center. Two people also died in Florida, two died in Georgia, and one person died in Virginia from the storm.

Hurricane Ian leaves Florida’s southwest coast unrecognizable

Deaths rise to 3 in Cuba; power outages remain after Ian

Three people have been confirmed dead in Cuba after it was struck by Hurricane Ian, local media reported, citing the government.

Cuba’s electric company has reported that power outages are still widespread across the island. Power remains completely out in western Pinar del Río province, the area most devastated by the storm.

Ian struck western Cuba on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, the National Hurricane Center in the U.S. has said.

It made landfall around 4:30 a.m. near the town of La Coloma.

500 rescued in Lee and Charlotte counties since landfall

More than 500 people have been rescued in Florida’s Lee and Charlotte counties in the wake of destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Ian, the state Emergency Management Division said Thursday.

Ian made landfall in Lee County as a Category 4 storm Wednesday with 150 mph winds and a storm surge. Charlotte County is north of Lee County.

Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais, who with others took an assessment trip by helicopter Thursday, said it’s the worst storm damage he has ever seen.

“It’s very clear to see where the storm came on shore and then just churned with 140 mph winds,” Desjarlais said. He said that some of the greatest damage is in Fort Myers Beach and that other barrier islands also suffered extensive damage.

Florida had more than 2.6 million power outages at 3 p.m. Thursday, the Emergency Management Division said.

Ian had 10% more rain because of climate change, scientists say

Human-caused climate change increased Hurricane Ian’s extreme rainfall rates by more than 10%, according to a preliminary analysis from scientists who study extreme weather.

The analysis has not been peer-reviewed; researchers Kevin Reed of Stony Brook University and Michael Wehner of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory relied upon the same methodology they used for a peer-reviewed study of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

A warmer atmosphere can contain more water vapor.

“These are conservative estimates on the human-induced increases in rain using our peer-reviewed method,” Wehner said by email. “Climate change didn’t cause the storm, but it did cause it to be wetter.”

Hurricane Ian death toll increases to at least 9

At least nine people have died following Hurricane Ian’s vicious lashing through Florida, according to an NBC News tally.

Two people died in Sarasota, the county’s sheriff’s department said. One person was confirmed dead in Volusia County, and six more died in Charlotte County.

Identifications have not been released, and the state has refused to officially comment on deaths.

Florida hospitals without running water evacuate patients

Three of four hospitals in the Lee Health system in southwest Florida have been forced to evacuate patients because of a lack of running water.

The hospitals also lost power and are using backup generators.

“We’ve been faced with an unprecedented challenge with this hurricane,” Dr. Larry Antonucci, the health system’s CEO and president, said in a video on Facebook. “It has caused devastation throughout our community and is putting an incredible strain on our health system.”

Emergency departments will remain open. Patients who need to be admitted to the ER will be transferred to other facilities.

Ian strengthens back into a hurricane, taking aim at Georgia and the Carolinas

After having been labeled a tropical storm for most of Thursday, Ian was upgraded to a hurricane once again.

The National Hurricane Center said in its advisory for 5 p.m. ET that Ian was “taking aim at the Carolinas and Georgia with life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds.”

The storm is moving north-northwest at around 10 mph, with maximum sustained winds increasing to 75 mph with stronger gusts, the NHC said.

Ian will approach the South Carolina coast Friday, and the center of the storm is forecast to move inland across the Carolinas on Friday night into Saturday.

“Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall tomorrow, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” the advisory said.

Aerial video shows flames engulfing flooded home damaged in Lee County

Internet access is down across Florida areas hit by Ian

Areas of the Florida’s southwest coast were experiencing widespread cellphone and internet outages Thursday after they were battered by Hurricane Ian, according to federal watchdogs and private companies that monitor connectivity.

More than half a million Floridians had lost their landline telephone, home internet or cable services or some combination, the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday in a status report about the damage to Florida’s telecommunications services.

About 11% of cellphone towers across the state were out of service, the report found. It’s particularly bad in four counties — Charlotte, Hardee, Henry and Lee — where more than 60% of towers were not functioning.

Even though the storm has passed Florida, telecommunications providers rely on local power providers to keep running. While they may temporarily rely on backup generators in emergency situations, those will eventually run out of fuel.

Read the full story here.

Florida resident secured paralyzed husband to hospital bed, gave him life jacket

A Florida woman used duct tape, tarpaulin, blankets, pillows and zip ties to secure her paralyzed husband to his hospital bed as Hurricane Ian battered their Punta Gorda home.

She also gave him a life jacket in case water flooded their home, some 24 miles north of Fort Myers.

“I don’t want him to die,” Renee Smith told NBC News’ Kerry Sanders Thursday in an emotional interview.

The Florida couple had recently returned home from the hospital after Smith’s husband, Christopher, became paralyzed from the chest down due to prostate cancer that metastasized to his spine.

He was scheduled to undergo radiation treatment on Wednesday but it was canceled due to the hurricane, which made landfall Wednesday afternoon and knocked out power to more than 2.6 million people across Florida.

“It was terrifying,” she said.

Read the full story here.

At least 6 dead in Charlotte County after Hurricane Ian, commissioner says

Charlotte County Commissioner Christopher Constance, who represents the Punta Gorda area, told MSNBC that the death toll in his county, according to a county administrator, stands at six.

Charlotte County is on Florida’s west coast, where Ian made landfall on Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane.

Including a fatality reported in the city of Deltona in Volusia County overnight, that brings the death toll in Florida after Ian to seven.

The state of Florida and the Florida Dept. of Emergency Management is not confirming or discussing the number of fatalities in the state at this time.

Homeland Security secretary says department is ‘devoted’ to recovery after Hurricane Ian

Woman desperately searches for mom in Fort Myers after seeing her home almost submerged by Ian

Danielle Campomoar, TODAY

One mom of two is desperately searching for her own mother after seeing her mom’s house under water after Tropical Storm Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.

Beth Booker, 32, was not surprised when her 78-year-old mom, Carole McDanel, said she wanted to stay in her Fort Myers home as Hurricane Ian neared the Florida coast.

“We’ve had that home for 24 years,” Booker told TODAY Parents. “She’s a very stubborn, set-in-her-ways fantastic person and she’s strong — she’s tough as nails.”

Booker and her husband drove to Fort Myers from their home in North Naples, Florida the day before the storm hit to help fortify her mother’s impact windows, put up shutters, make sure she had lanterns, batteries and water and move all the family heirlooms to higher ground.

Read the full story here.

U.S. Coast Guard aerial videos show Ian’s devastation in Florida

Sarasota vice mayor on Ian damage: ‘My yard looks like a war zone’

Sarasota Vice Mayor Kyle Battie told MSNBC on Thursday his home “looked like a war zone” in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

“There’s just debris everywhere — it looks disastrous,” Battie said.

Sarasota, on the west coast of Florida not far from where Ian made landfall, was hit with hurricane-force winds. “A number of downed trees, and some home damage, due to the wind,” he said.

But Battie says the community has already begun digging out of the damage. “The one thing that I do see is everyone helping one another,” he said.

Ian forecast to still produce life-threatening flooding in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas

Although Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting Florida, the National Hurricane Center said the storm is predicted to generate life-threatening flooding and storm surge as it churns up the Atlantic coast of the United States.

“Ian forecast to produce life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds across portions of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas,” it said in its Thursday afternoon advisory.

As of 2:00 p.m. ET, Ian had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. But the agency again warned that Ian is expected to regain strength to a hurricane Friday after it leaves Florida and curves back into the Carolinas.

“A turn toward the north is expected late today, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest with an increase in forward speed Friday night,” the advisory said. “On the forecast track, Ian will approach the coast of South Carolina on Friday. The center will move farther inland across the Carolinas Friday night and Saturday.”

Sanibel was hit with a ‘biblical storm surge,’ DeSantis says

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sanibel, an island community in southwest Florida, was hit hard by Hurricane Ian and described the scene simply as “destruction.”

“It got hit with really biblical storm surge and it washed away roads, it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that,” he said at a Thursday afternoon news briefing.

Photos circulated on social media earlier Thursday showing a gaping hole in the causeway that connects the island to the mainland. About 50 to 65 feet of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed during the storm, dumping parts of the roadway into the Gulf of Mexico.

DeSantis said there is ongoing efforts to safely evacuate residents cut off by the storm. He said the bridge will be rebuilt but noted “that’s not something that will happen overnight.”

Verizon, AT&T waive talk and text limits to cellular customers in areas impacted by Ian

Verizon Wireless is providing unlimited talk, data and text messages to customers in more than 20 counties affected by Hurricane Ian “so residents can focus on what matters most.”

“In the wake of the worst storm to hit Southwest Florida in decades, Verizon’s network continues to withstand the storm with few concentrated areas of impact to our network primarily along the west coast of Florida from Tampa through Naples where the ferocity of the storm concentrated its power,” the company said in a news release Thursday.

Verizon said its prepaid and postpaid customers do not have to take any action to take advantage of the offer, and can verify their eligibility by entering their ZIP code at verizon.com/featured/relief. It will be provided through Oct. 4.

Charlotte, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties — some of the hardest-hit ones — are included. To see the full list of counties, click here.

AT&T also announced its efforts to help affected customers and said it is allowing other carrier’s customers to roam on their networks. It is also waiving talk, text and data coverage charges in impacted areas, a news release states.

Tropical Storm Ian expected to become hurricane again after leaving Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University closes its residential facilities

Florida Gulf Coast University, located in Fort Myers, said its residential halls are closed until further notice. The announcement was made on the FGCU Housing account on Instagram.

“Until further notice, housing facilities remain closed and students are not permitted to return to the residence halls,” the statement on Instagram reads. “Housing staff are currently assessing all facilities to determine when residents may return.”

The university said it would continue to keep students updated. Nearly 16,000 students were enrolled at FGCU in 2021, according to its website. More than 4,700 lived in the dorms, it states.

On Wednesday, the housing account announced the dorms had been evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ian’s arrival.

FGCU canceled classes until Sept. 30, according to its website.

Daytona Beach begins recovery efforts after ‘unprecedented flooding’

As Ian moves up the East Coast, Daytona Beach has begun recovery efforts after the storm brought “historic” flooding to Florida.

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry advised that water intrusion was the biggest danger posed to the community.

“We have unprecedented flooding issues in areas we were apprised of and concerned about,” Henry said Thursday morning on MSNBC.

Although the hurricane weakened into a tropical storm Thursday, heavy rain and flooding risks persisted.

With uncertain conditions, Henry advised all residents of Daytona Beach to be safe and smart while exiting their homes in the aftermath of Ian. “County and local officials are working hand and hand to make sure we execute the plan— we just want residents to make the best decisions because safety is the biggest priority,” he said.

Biden warns of ‘substantial loss of life’ and says Ian may be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history

President Joe Biden Biden said Hurricane Ian may be responsible for a “substantial loss of life.”

“This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” Biden said following a briefing with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials. “Numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life … I spoke with the commissioners and they are worried.”

He said he will travel to Florida to survey the damage from Hurricane Ian and thank first responders once conditions on the ground improve.

Biden said he was also planning to go to Puerto Rico, which was struck by Ian days before the storm made landfall in Florida, and committed to continue providing assistance there.

He said he planned to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis when he visits Florida. While the two have butted heads politically, Biden said it hasn’t affected their discussions around the storm.

“He complimented me, he thanked me for the immediate response we had, he told me how much he appreciate it, said he was extremely happy with what’s going on,” Biden said when asked about their interactions.

Tampa International Airport will reopen Friday

Biden says he’s given DeSantis ‘every single thing he’s asked for’ related to Ian aid

President Joe Biden told the Democratic Governors Association on Wednesday he’s been “completely responsive” to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ requests for federal aid.

“We’ve given … the governor every single thing he’s asked for in terms of emergency response,” Biden said during the private reception, the transcript of which was released by the White House on Thursday.

As Hurricane Ian becomes what Biden said “may turn out to be the most consequential hurricane they’ve had in a long, long time,” he said he would do “whatever the people of Florida need.” The remarks appear to put aside his stark political differences with DeSantis, a Republican who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2024.

But during the rest of the remarks, Biden spoke about how the country is at an “inflection point,” taking direct aim at “MAGA Republicans” on policies such as gun control and climate change. In the speech, Biden did not mention immigration, on which the White House has sparred with DeSantis in recent weeks.

No storm-related deaths in Hillsborough County, but Lee and Charlotte counties ‘may not be so lucky’

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said there are no storm-related deaths in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, but added that Lee and Charlotte counties “may not be so lucky.”

Officials held a news conference Thursday and thanked the Hillsborough community and its residents for following evacuation orders. “I’ve never seen this community gets so well prepared in over my 30 years of law enforcement experience,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

County Administrator Bonnie Wise said that Hurricane Ian’s “last minute move to the east” also spared the region from the worst rain and winds. “Hillsborough County was very fortunate in the final track of Hurricane Ian took,” she said.

Chronister said he spoke with the sheriff in Lee County, who said that they suffered “catastrophic loss and total devastation” and that the death toll is believed to be in the hundreds.

During a news briefing Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Lee and Charlotte counties are “basically off the grid.”

Island community of Sanibel cut off and isolated after Ian destroys causeway

A large section of a causeway connecting an island in southwestern Florida to the mainland collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving anyone who did not evacuate stranded, as Hurricane Ian left a path of devastation through the state Wednesday.

Approximately 50 to 65 feet of the Sanibel Causeway collapsed as Hurricane Ian roared through southwest Florida on Wednesday, NBC affiliate WBBH reported Thursday morning, as the destruction left behind by Ian comes into focus.

Read the full story here.

As Ian moves through U.S., hurricane warning extended for South Carolina coast

Ian has made its way through Florida, where the storm has left a trail of extensive damage, but it continues to pummel other states. Although currently downgraded to a tropical storm, Ian could restrengthen to a hurricane before it hits Sough Carolina.

The National Hurricane Center on Thursday morning has issued hurricane warnings for the entire coast of South Carolina, a tropical storm warning extended to a portion of the North Carolina coast and discontinued the same warning for the Florida coast.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, storm surge watches were issued for the South Santee River and the Pamlico River, while others, such as the Neuse River and the St. Johns River, were given storm surge warnings.

U.S. Coast Guard aerial photos show the scope of damage

Fort Myers area in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022.Petty Officer 3rd Class Kruz Sanders / U.S. Coast GuardFort Myers area in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022.Petty Officer 3rd Class Kruz Sanders / U.S. Coast GuardA U.S. Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Miami, Florida, conducts overflights around the Fort Myers area in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022. Petty Officer 3rd Class Kruz Sanders / U.S. Coast GuardA U.S. Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Miami, Florida, conducts overflights around western Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022.

U.S.Coast Guard

Evacuation orders lifted in Manatee County, but officials still urge caution

Evacuation orders were lifted in Manatee County, Florida, on Thursday morning and residents were told they could return to their homes, but officials still want people to take precautions.

“This is not an all-clear,” County Administrator Scott Hopes said in a news release. “There are still hazards out there. And you need to understand the danger.”

The mandatory orders had been in place since Tuesday, one day before Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s west coast. More than 2.5 million customers across the state were without power as of Thursday morning.

Officials in Manatee County said they have received reports of downed power lines, fallen trees and scattered limbs and that power crews are already working to clean up the areas.

23 people in Florida rescued by U.S. Coast Guard, number expected to climb

The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 23 people in Florida and expects that number to climb, Peter Gautier, its deputy commandant, said.

Most of the rescues have been by helicopter, he said during an appearance Wednesday on Fox News. The Coast Guard has boats available and will be “moving to assist in the lifesaving mission” after Hurricane Ian slammed into the state Wednesday, he said.

“The top priority is saving lives,” he said. “In the days leading up to the storm’s landfall, the Coast Guard moved all its cutters, aircraft and small boats out of the area so we could be positioned to bring those back in. That’s happening right now as we speak.”

Firefighters rescue stranded residents in Orange County, Florida

Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office via AP

Across Orange County, Florida, on Thursday, firefighters helped residents stranded by Hurricane Ian.

Orange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office via APOrange County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Office via AP

How Ian compares to Charley

Hurricane Ian’s devastating landfall along Florida’s southwestern coast drew “eerily similar” comparisons to Hurricane Charley, which slammed the same region of the peninsula in 2004.

Though Ian was much larger and moving slower Wednesday afternoon when it hit near Cayo Costa, just west of Fort Myers, both hurricanes were Category 4 storms when they came ashore.

Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, noted on Twitter that Ian closely followed Charley’s path through the Caribbean, adding that both storms made landfall in western Cuba before slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast.

But while the two storms share some similarities, experts have said that storm surge, flooding and rainfall intensity from Ian were expected to be more severe.

High floodwaters in hard-hit Naples prevented crews from assessing damage

High floodwaters in Naples, Florida, prevented crews from assessing the damage from Hurricane Ian on Wednesday night, city manager Jay Boodheshwar said on NBC’s “TODAY” show.

“We had assembled three assessment teams last night to try and get a feel for what we were in for this morning. Unfortunately, the water wasn’t receding fast enough,” he said. “And then we had some complications with the king tide last night a little bit after midnight. So our crews have been out pre-dawn assessing streets.”

Boodheshwar urged residents to stay out of the high waters and let the crews work. The teams have already begun removing cars and trying to “identify where the extremely hazardous locations are,” he said.

Evacuation orders for Hillsborough and Pinellas counties lifted

Evacuation orders for Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, and Pinellas County, where Clearwater and St. Petersburg are based, were lifted Thursday morning.

“As the path of Hurricane Ian takes it and its hazardous conditions away from Hillsborough County, and following initial safety assessments, County Administrator Bonnie M. Wise has rescinded existing Orders of Evacuation for Hillsborough County,” Hillsborough County said in a Twitter statement.

Pinellas County said crews and first responders were “proactively conducting damage assessments and response as needed,” but said mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted for all evacuation zones, mobile home communities and residential health care facilities.

Internet outages hit Florida coast

Some areas of the Florida Gulf Coast are experiencing severe internet outages from Hurricane Ian.

Two of the major internet providers there, Xfinity and Spectrum, have had severe connection issues, said Isik Mater, the director of research at NetBlocks, a company that tracks internet connectivity globally. (Xfinity is owned by Comcast, which also owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)

Comcast service in the city of Port Charlotte is “almost totally gone at the moment,” Mater told NBC News. Neither Xfinity not Spectrum immediately responded to requests for comment.

More than 70 medical responders and supplies from National Disaster Medical System deployed

More than 70 medical responders and supplies from the National Disaster Medical System have been deployed to Florida as the state begins to assess the devastation from Hurricane Ian.

“We’re monitoring the situation and we’re prepared to provide additional support as needed,” tweeted Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for Preparedness and Response.

The storm slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday as a major Category 4, sending waves of water rushing down city streets, destroying buildings and homes, and leaving millions of residents without power. President Joe Biden on Thursday declared a major disaster in Florida over the destruction caused by the storm.

Biden approves Florida disaster declaration, speaks with DeSantis

President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Florida that will make federal funding available to nine affected counties that will include grants for temporary housing, home repairs, and loans to cover uninsured property losses, the White House said in a statement Thursday morning.

The president spoke Thursday morning with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the steps the federal government is taking in response to the storm, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a tweet.

Biden will get a briefing on the storm Thursday afternoon from FEMA.

At least 2 unconfirmed deaths reported in connection with Ian, DeSantis says

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that at least two unconfirmed deaths had been reported in connection with Hurricane Ian.

“We don’t know that they’re linked to the storm,” he said. However, he added it appeared likely that they were.

DeSantis also appeared to address comments made earlier Thursday by Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno expressing fears that the death toll could be in the “hundreds.”

“None of that is confirmed,” he said.

DeSantis added there were concerns for residents who reported being trapped by flooding. “That water was very high,” he said.

Marceno, who made the comments during an interview with “Good Morning America,” had made clear that he did not have “confirmed numbers” on any potential death toll.

Early morning scenes in Punta Gorda, Florida

A man walks through debris on a street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Punta Gorda, Fla., on Thursday.Ricardo Arduengo / AFP – Getty ImagesA partially submerged boat in Punta Gorda.Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images

At least 9 hospitals in Lee County ‘have no water,’ FEMA administrator says

At least nine hospitals in Lee County “have no water” after Hurricane Ian tore through the area after making landfall on Florida’s southwest coast, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said Thursday.

“The reports that I have this morning is that Lee County’s water has been disrupted and so we’re focused on a couple of things,” Criswell said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“We know there’s nine hospitals in Lee county that the state is looking at right now to determine whether or not we’re going to be able to get water restored to them, or whether or not they’re going to have to be evacuated,” she said, adding: “They have no water.”

Boats damaged in Fort Myers, Florida

Boats are pushed up on a causeway after Hurricane Ian passed through the area Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla.Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Man dies during Hurricane Ian while trying to drain pool, authorities say

A Deltona, Florida, man drowned overnight after authorities said he went outside during Hurricane Ian to drain his pool. The man’s wife called Volusia sheriff’s office around 1 a.m. to report that he had disappeared after going out in the storm, a news release states.

“While searching for him, deputies found his flashlight, then spotted the victim unresponsive in a canal behind the home,” the sheriff’s office said.

The man, 72, died at the hospital. His name has not been released.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the man was using a hose to drain the pool down a hill and into a canal, where there was a steep decline into the water. Because of the heavy rain, the area was extremely soft and slippery.

Lee County sheriff expresses fears fatalities could be in the ‘hundreds’; FEMA chief says no confirmed reports on any deaths yet

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno expressed fears Thursday morning that fatalities from Hurricane Ian could as high as in the “hundreds,” but later walked back those comments, saying he did not know the number of potential deaths connected to the storm.

As of early Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there had been at least two deaths reported in connection to the storm, but he said officials were still working to confirm whether they were related to Ian.

Speaking in an interview with “Good Morning America,” Marceno said he feared hundreds could potentially be dead. However, he made clear that he did not have “confirmed numbers” on the death toll.

Around two hours later, he appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“I don’t know the exact number,” he said. “We really got hit hard. I will tell you we’re assessing as we speak, answering calls, we prioritize our calls, and the safety and security of our residents is number one.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN she did not have any confirmed reports yet on fatalities.

“I understand that some of the sheriffs are saying that they expect a large number of fatalities, but that’s why we want to get our search and rescue teams out there. That’s why they’re out there,” she said. “We want to save as many lives as possible.”

Over 2.5 million customers without power in Florida

Hurricane Ian has left over 2.5 customers without power as of around 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday, according to the online tracking site poweroutage.us.

Residents along the state’s southwest coast, where Ian made landfall Wednesday, were hit the hardest, according to the online tracker.

Biden declares major disaster in Florida over Hurricane Ian

President Joe Biden on Thursday declared a major disaster in Florida over the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, now a tropical storm.

The president ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by the hurricane starting Sept. 23 and onward, the White House said.

“The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota,” it said.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help residents and business owners recover from the impacts of Ian, the White House said.

It said federal funding was also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments, as well as certain private nonprofit organizations on a “cost-sharing basis for debris removal” in affected counties and for emergency protective measures statewide. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide, the White House said.

Harris says Biden administration fully committed to providing federal support to Florida

Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that images of Ian’s destruction were devastating as she sought to offer reassurance that the Biden administration was fully committed to offering federal support to Florida.

Harris made the comments while in South Korea for a planned visit, Reuters reported. The vice president added that people should follow any evacuation orders.

The vice president also asked a soldier who was from Florida whether he had checked in on his family after Ian, The Associated Press reported.

“Yeah, they’re up on a hill,” he replied, according to AP.

Video captures heavy rains in Orlando after officials warn of ‘catastrophic’ floods

Video footage posted to social media and verified by NBC News shows heavy rain and flooding in Orlando on Wednesday evening, with palm trees swaying wildly in strong winds and rainwater streaming down a road.

“This flooding is actually picking up in Orlando,” Twitter user @JaiHawkFly wrote, sharing the video online.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne had earlier warned that conditions would deteriorate overnight, saying in a statement on Twitter there was a threat of “significant to catastrophic flooding” Wednesday evening through Thursday for areas from N Osceola and N Brevard north, including metro Orlando.

“Flooding can be especially dangerous at night,” the service said in a statement on Twitter.

Flooded streets of Havana as Ian passes

A woman stands on a flooded street in Havana, on Sept. 28, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Ian. Yamil Lage / AFP – Getty Images

Hurricane Ian downgraded to tropical storm

Hurricane Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday as it continued to batter Florida.

Maximum sustained winds dropped to near 65 mph with higher gusts early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said, but the storm has continued to cause destruction as it moves northeast.

Ian is “still expected to produce strong winds, heavy rains and storm surge across portions of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas,” it said.

Time-lapse shows floodwaters surging down roads in Fort Myers

A time-lapse of footage captured by a webcam run by the Florida Department of Transportation showed floodwaters surging down the roads of Fort Myers on Wednesday.

The video showed waters rising and turning a major road into a river.

The time-lapse was shared by NBC affiliate, WOOD-TV reporter Brennan Prill.

Debris lines the streets of Tampa

A pickup truck drives around fallen debris and palm trees in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa on Wednesday. Bryan R. Smith / AFP – Getty Images

More than 2.4 million without power across Florida

More than 2.4 million people across Florida were without power early Thursday morning after Hurricane Ian walloped the state, bringing 150 mph winds and life-threatening storm surge.

Residents along the state’s southwest coast, where Ian made landfall Wednesday, were the hardest hit, according to online outage live tracker poweroutage.us.

Around half of those without power are in the region serviced by Florida Power & Light Co., whose coverage area includes the hard-hit communities of Lee County.

The company said in a tweet Wednesday night that Ian’s catastrophic winds meant parts of its system would “need to be rebuilt — not restored” as it warned residents to be “prepared for widespread, extended outages.”

“We are already at work restoring power where we can do so safely,” it said.

‘Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic’ flooding expected to continue in central Florida

“Widespread, life-threatening catastrophic” flooding is expected to continue near major rivers in parts of central Florida on Thursday, the National Weather Service has warned.

Considerable flooding is also expected in the state’s north, southeastern Georgia and eastern South Carolina, the agency said in a statement on Twitter.

Hurricane Ian winds drop further, flood risk remains

Hurricane Ian’s maximum sustained winds dropped to 75 mph by early Thursday, the day after it struck Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm.

But northeastern and central Florida were forecast to get 10 to 20 inches of rain, and up to 30 inches in some spots, the National Hurricane Center said. Florida’s eastern coast may also see a storm surge of 6 feet.

The storm, now a Category 1, was about 55 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral at 2 a.m., the hurricane center said in an advisory. It was moving northeast at 9 mph.

It did not appear that any deaths had been reported in the hurricane, but officials near where it struck earlier Wednesday said the damage was feared to be extensive and it was unknown how bad the situation was as high winds were continuing.

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Barclays fined $200m in US over ‘staggering mishandling’ of securities | Business

September 29, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Barclays has been fined for a second time this week after American regulators imposed a $200 million penalty on the bank for offering and selling billions of dollars worth of securities in unregistered transactions.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission charged the British bank over its “staggering” failure to implement any internal control to track such transactions in real time.

This led to the offering and sale of an “unprecedented” amount of securities in unregistered transactions worth about $17.7 billion, the watchdog said.

A $361 million settlement announced last night also included repayment of gains and interest of more than $161 million, although the watchdog deemed this to have been satisfied by an offer to repurchase the securities which Barclays started earlier this year.

Barclays

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